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| Paula Radcliffe doping allegations: Tory MP says media to blame | Paula Radcliffe doping allegations: Tory MP says media to blame |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The chair of a parliamentary committee accused by athlete Paula Radcliffe of implicating her in a doping scandal has blamed reporters for taking his comments out of context, labelling the media a “herd of ungulates”. | The chair of a parliamentary committee accused by athlete Paula Radcliffe of implicating her in a doping scandal has blamed reporters for taking his comments out of context, labelling the media a “herd of ungulates”. |
| Jesse Norman, the Conservative MP who heads the culture, media and sport select committee, said the “press pack” had taken a “single snippet” in an attempt to “bounce” a statement out of Radcliffe. | Jesse Norman, the Conservative MP who heads the culture, media and sport select committee, said the “press pack” had taken a “single snippet” in an attempt to “bounce” a statement out of Radcliffe. |
| The MP was questioning a UK anti-doping official near the end of a three-hour hearing on Tuesday when he appeared to raise suspicions about a prominent British marathon runner. | The MP was questioning a UK anti-doping official near the end of a three-hour hearing on Tuesday when he appeared to raise suspicions about a prominent British marathon runner. |
| Radcliffe, 41, who first set a world record for the women’s marathon in 2002 and has held the position since 2003, said she had no choice but to speak out in order to clear her name and issued a highly charged statement. | Radcliffe, 41, who first set a world record for the women’s marathon in 2002 and has held the position since 2003, said she had no choice but to speak out in order to clear her name and issued a highly charged statement. |
| Speaking on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, Norman launched a tirade against the media, calling journalists ungulates, which is a collective term for hoofed animals. | Speaking on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, Norman launched a tirade against the media, calling journalists ungulates, which is a collective term for hoofed animals. |
| “What is interesting, also, in a three-hour hearing, what’s happened is the press pack – and it is a pack, it’s a herd of ungulates – have basically taken this single snippet and run off to Paula Radcliffe and attempted to bounce her in to making some kind of statement,” he said. “I think that’s very unfortunate.” | “What is interesting, also, in a three-hour hearing, what’s happened is the press pack – and it is a pack, it’s a herd of ungulates – have basically taken this single snippet and run off to Paula Radcliffe and attempted to bounce her in to making some kind of statement,” he said. “I think that’s very unfortunate.” |
| Norman, 53, said he grew up on tales of watching Radcliffe, who rose to prominence in the late 90s and early 00s. | Norman, 53, said he grew up on tales of watching Radcliffe, who rose to prominence in the late 90s and early 00s. |
| “I certainly massively admire Paula Radcliffe, I grew up on tales of her extraordinary exploits in the 90s and early 2000s, and nothing could be further from the intention of the committee than to have named any athletes. In fact no names were given, no allegations were made, no specific athletes were described, no test results were mentioned.” | “I certainly massively admire Paula Radcliffe, I grew up on tales of her extraordinary exploits in the 90s and early 2000s, and nothing could be further from the intention of the committee than to have named any athletes. In fact no names were given, no allegations were made, no specific athletes were described, no test results were mentioned.” |
| Radcliffe, 41, who retired from competition this year because of injury, had not been named in connection with the recent spate of allegations regarding blood doping that have engulfed the sport. | Radcliffe, 41, who retired from competition this year because of injury, had not been named in connection with the recent spate of allegations regarding blood doping that have engulfed the sport. |
| But on Tuesday, Norman asked questions that appeared to suggest a British winner of the London marathon was “potentially” implicated. | But on Tuesday, Norman asked questions that appeared to suggest a British winner of the London marathon was “potentially” implicated. |
| Radcliffe, who is the only British non-disabled winner of a marathon since 1996, denied the accusation. “These accusations threaten to undermine all I have stood and competed for, as well as my hard-earned reputation,” she said. “By linking me to allegations of cheating, damage done to my name and reputation can never be fully repaired, no matter how untrue I know them to be.” | |
| Norman’s appearance on the Today programme sparked a wave of reaction on social media with many focusing on his unusual use of the term ungulates. | |
| If Jesse Norman really thinks he didn't out Radcliffe to anyone with a brain, either he is very stupid or he thinks everyone else is | If Jesse Norman really thinks he didn't out Radcliffe to anyone with a brain, either he is very stupid or he thinks everyone else is |
| Tony Blair only called us feral beasts; Jesse Norman must really hate us to go for ungulants. | Tony Blair only called us feral beasts; Jesse Norman must really hate us to go for ungulants. |
| Jesse Norman wriggling on #r4today calls media "a herd of ungulates". Had to look that up. Still a touch baffled tbh pic.twitter.com/7my5gjemCJ | Jesse Norman wriggling on #r4today calls media "a herd of ungulates". Had to look that up. Still a touch baffled tbh pic.twitter.com/7my5gjemCJ |
| Radcliffe, whose 2003 marathon world record of 2hr 15min 25sec in London remains almost three minutes faster than any other woman in history, appeared on Sky News on Wednesday. | Radcliffe, whose 2003 marathon world record of 2hr 15min 25sec in London remains almost three minutes faster than any other woman in history, appeared on Sky News on Wednesday. |
| She said Norman alluded to past winners or medallists of the London marathon and “in that period, aside from in the wheelchair race, it only could be me, so essentially he identified me”. | She said Norman alluded to past winners or medallists of the London marathon and “in that period, aside from in the wheelchair race, it only could be me, so essentially he identified me”. |
| Related: Paula Radcliffe comes out fighting after doping allegations finally emerge | Related: Paula Radcliffe comes out fighting after doping allegations finally emerge |
| “Then people had free rein because of the parliamentary privilege to go ahead and name me in the press,” she said. “At that point, I am not prepared to be blackmailed by the paper in question any more on this matter and I am going to go out and defend myself. | “Then people had free rein because of the parliamentary privilege to go ahead and name me in the press,” she said. “At that point, I am not prepared to be blackmailed by the paper in question any more on this matter and I am going to go out and defend myself. |
| “I wanted to avoid it because I did not want my name to be on the front page of all the papers. I definitely do not want my children to print their mum’s name into Google and find that the first thing that comes up next to it is ‘drugs cheat’ or ‘doper’. It is not something I ever wanted to happen. | “I wanted to avoid it because I did not want my name to be on the front page of all the papers. I definitely do not want my children to print their mum’s name into Google and find that the first thing that comes up next to it is ‘drugs cheat’ or ‘doper’. It is not something I ever wanted to happen. |
| “I will not stand by and not defend myself when I am put in this situation.” | “I will not stand by and not defend myself when I am put in this situation.” |
| Radcliffe’s name had been in circulation since December last year, when a leaked list of athletes with suspicious blood values began to circulate having featured in an documentary by the German broadcaster ARD into systemic doping in Russia. | Radcliffe’s name had been in circulation since December last year, when a leaked list of athletes with suspicious blood values began to circulate having featured in an documentary by the German broadcaster ARD into systemic doping in Russia. |
| Interest was raised when a larger leak of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes was used by the Sunday Times and ARD as the basis for claims in August this year, before the world championships and the election of Sebastian Coe as the president of the crisis-hit IAAF, the governing body of athletics. | Interest was raised when a larger leak of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes was used by the Sunday Times and ARD as the basis for claims in August this year, before the world championships and the election of Sebastian Coe as the president of the crisis-hit IAAF, the governing body of athletics. |
| The Sunday Times referred to a prominent British endurance athlete as being among those with suspicious blood values and said it was not Mo Farah, whose coach Alberto Salazar has been the target of separate doping claims (which he denies). | The Sunday Times referred to a prominent British endurance athlete as being among those with suspicious blood values and said it was not Mo Farah, whose coach Alberto Salazar has been the target of separate doping claims (which he denies). |
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